Editor, Times-Union: It is thought that President Obama might give illegal aliens amnesty by executive order right after the November elections. This is bad for America for several reasons. First, the president is bound to uphold and administer laws, not to set them aside. America has laws that govern legal entry into our sovereign nation for residency. If those laws are set aside by executive fiat, then another huge wave of central American people will undoubtedly cross our borders under the assumption that the USA will grant amnesty again in the future. By way of analogy, bank robberies have been increasing of late. If this problem was dealt with in the same manner as amnesty for illegal entry, then our president would announce that the FBI and federal marshalls simply cannot handle the deluge of bank robberies, and so by executive order the president would declare “bank robbery is no longer a crime.” Would this increase or decrease the incidence of bank robbery? Take a guess. We are supposed to be a nation governed by laws that affect everyone, not a country where politicians try to carve a monument to themselves by outlandish acts of malfeasance such as negating laws which dictate the expulsion of immigrants entering the United States without application for and approval of our Immigration and Naturalization Service. Muslim terrorists such as ISIS have announced their intention to commit terrorist acts inside the United States. These men are of Arabic descent, yet with a haircut, a shave, and a change of clothing they resemble a Hispanic in appearance. Remember the 9/11 Saudi hijacker's pictures from the Boston airport security cameras? They looked like ordinary travelers from Central America or the Caribbean. What I am suggesting, in light of our lack of a secure southern border, is that amnesty for illegal aliens will also work to advance and exacerbate future terrorist acts in America. Our federal government is always ready to spend millions or billions butting into conflicts in the Mideast, yet until thousands or millions of Americans die from terrorism on our own turf, our borders will remain unsecured. It is the job of our federal government to secure our borders now. An 89-year-old World War II Marine Corps veteran suggested to me that between our active Army and Marine Corps, “linear bases and camps” could be established that would encompass America’s entire southern border. And with the patrols, security measures and other actions of active military forces on duty, our borders would remain secure in this age against terrorism, illegal entry and drug cartels. It would be great real-life training for our troops as well. America’s expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan have not brought about peace or reduced the threat of terrorist acts, but have brought us closer to bankruptcy. We need to throw a safety net around our own borders, especially with Mexico. And send illegal aliens back where they came from, it's the law. Rick Wagner Pierceton, via email
